A Bird in a Dream
by Naokiru Michiyuki
Summary: There was a kid I once knew. Brown hair, blue eyes. Rumours went around that he was mentally ill. Axel's POV. SoraxRiku


There was a kid I once knew. He lived next door to my house and he was very quiet. I never saw him play outside with any of the children in our neighbourhood.  
Rumours went around that he was mentally ill.

Once, he was in my primary group-class and we had to be paired up together by the teacher. He never glanced my way and only kept on sketching on his red notebook. Though, he always seemed to please the teacher's expectations whenever there was a written paperwork we had to give in, he absolutely had zero friends. No one dared to walk near him because he was a loner.

Once, the teacher was so pleased with his work, she begged him to read it to the whole class. It was the first time I heard him speak, but he was sending venom words that clearly stabbed the teacher. He didn't want to share his stories. Everyone was scared of him after that.  
With the following months, I tried to have decent conversations with him. After all, he was going to be my teammate for the rest of the school year. But, he always pushed me away and kept on drawing and drawing.

It intrigued me quite a bit. I didn't think he was rude or anything. I thought that maybe, he had had previous issues that weren't anyone's bussiness. The thing that I wanted to know so much was what he was so dearly drawing. I never had the chance to get to see it. I tried to sneak a peak once, very subtily, but only grabbed what I thought were strands of silver, white hair. I thought that maybe, he had a foreign friend that he missed or something. Thus, this only boosted up my curiosity.  
The following days were not so easy. We had entrance exams to junior high schools coming. Everyone was busy, except him. The last day of primary came and I was walking outside to go to the locker's place. I saw him from afar, sitting under a big tree, sketching yet again on his red notebook. I decided to play ninja and spy on the infamous red notebook. I stood behind the huge tree trunk. That's when I heard him talk.

He was talking to someone, but as far as I knew, he was alone, I was hiding, and he did not have a cellphone. I sharpened my ears and I heard him laugh heartedly. From the moment I clearly heard a sentence, I felt bad. I felt horribly guilty of some unforgivable crime. He was actually happy, talking to... someone or something. I ran away as fast as I could and the thought of him hearing my steps didn't matter to me. I just wanted to get away from him. I thought he was just too weird, and _scary_.

After the junior high school's entrance ceremony, I never heard of him again. Then, time flew and flew by.

One evening, at the dining table, I asked my mom about our next door neighbours. She said she didn't receive any news from them either. When I turned 13, I thought I'd mature enough and gathered all my courage to go pay them a visit. I brought them some homemade tea cookies and knocked on the door. Her mother greeted me very nicely. She had baggy eyes and seemed like she hadn't slept well in a long time. She made me sit on a chair in the dining room and made us some tea. Her husband was out at work, so she told me.

We started talking about my already being an adolescent and how I planned on pursuing my later studies. From impatience, and with the most politeness I could pull out, I changed the subject to him. After all, he was the reason I was in that house. I asked her about him; how he was doing, where he was going with his studies and all. Her eyes flew shut and she sighed. I felt bad from the moment I finished asking my questions. I should have known he was a taboo subject.  
Her shoulders started shaking slightly but she smiled at me. She led me to his bedroom and from the moment she opened the door with a click, there were drawings everywhere inside the room. Papers were lying on the floor, on the bed and his table. The window's curtains were closed and it was dark, but the paintings on the walls, I could see all of them. It was the same strands of silver, white hair as the ones I saw on his red notebook. The gorgeous silver, white haired boy, with aquamarine shining eyes was decorating each and every papers and paintings.

I was amazed. He was only 12 and to think he would draw and paint so wonderfully, it was breathtaking. But wonderful aside, the air in the room was unbearable.

His mother told me everything. Ever since he was young, he had always had problems with interacting with others. He would always shut himself in his shell and lock it so no one would dare break his own world. He was born with an artistic hand and his imagination met no end.  
When he was around six, he went to her and said he made a new friend. She was taken aback. Then, he went on and on talking about some 'Riku' he met near the pond. She said she was delighted. But, as the days went on and on, she started getting a little worried about him. It seemed as if this 'Riku' had become an obsession and he would start to draw him more and more. She talked to the psychologists and had him go to the psychologist's bureau every week.

Things didn't change for the best. He would have angry bursts whenever she doubted 'Riku' was part of the real world. He only locked himself farther and stopped talking to her when she tried to talk to him. He would sketch, and sketch and sketch...

She then paused from talking and looked at me straight in the eyes. The look in her eyes was heartwrenching and she whispered_ : "He hung himself last month_."

The pressure of reality weighted too much on him. That's why he created a being that he would have loved to meet.  
That kid I once knew, his name was Sora.

End.

_Author's note : yay! another one-shot for me! This is my first RikuXSora fic... and my second story posted on ! xD yah, I'm so proud! Well, this story is more about friendship than love but, I wouldn't mind much if some thinks it's love. I love that pairing. _

_ I hope you guys enjoyed it! _


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